10 Things About... Matthew Perry

So, it's been a whopping ten years since the finale of Friends aired on our screens. Yes, I did say ten years, how old does that make you feel? But despite the show having ended so long ago, we have no doubt that the cast members reside in your hearts as some of your most loved characters of all time.

We thought this was a good time to delve into the life of one of the actors behind those beloved creations, Matthew Perry, and really get to know the man who infamously played one of the most sarcastic characters in television. Could you BE any more excited?

1. Matthew Langford Perry was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts to his mother Suzanne Marie and his father John Bennett Perry. His parents divorced before Perry was a year old and his mother moved them both to Ottawa, Ontario in Canada, where he lived until the age of 15. He has dual citizenship for both the US and Canada.

2. Although you may see Perry as one of the most loveable comedic actors, making people laugh was not his only talent. At the tender age of 13, Perry was a nationally ranked tennis player in Canada. However, when he moved to LA, he realized the level at which he played in Canada was no match for the talent in the US. It's okay Matt, we still love you.

3.The comedic traits of Chandler were not entirely isolated to the character either. Perry is known for his quick wit and sharp tongue, and it was this that allowed him to be the only cast member of Friends who was involved in the screenwriting process. Some of Perry's own personal gags and jibes were so good that the writers felt they had no choice but to include them in the script.

4. You can't deny that Perry is an attractive fellow, and with his list of previous girlfriends including Renee Zellweger and Julia Roberts, that praise seems quite justified. However, Perry wasn't always a ladies' man - in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he said: "In high school, my prom date fooled around with another guy - on prom night!" Ouch.

5. Perry has been very open when talking about his recovery from drink and drug addiction. Although he says the problem started before his ten-year run on Friends, he describes his time on the show as being when the addiction really took hold. Although Perry was never high at work, he says that for a large proportion he was "painfully hungover". However, Perry - who is now sober - began to channel his experience into helping others cope with the disease. He is an advocate for non-violent drug offenders being rehabilitated through treatment as opposed to going to jail, and, last year, he turned his Malibu mansion into a sober home for men, called Perry House.

6. Unsurprisingly, Perry is said to have a whopping net worth of $70 million (just over £41 million). It's widely known that in the last season of Friends, each member of the main six cast members received a huge $1 million per episode. However, this might not have happened if it weren't for the cast's strong bond. For the first couple of seasons, the pay cheques differed between the cast members, and it wasn't until Perry and the others confronted the studio about the unfair differences, and demanded that everyone was paid the same, that they were all given equal sums.

7. It's always nice for us normal folk when we find out a celebrity has an odd little imperfection. We have Megan Fox's toe thumbs, Tom Cruise's three front teeth, and now we know about Perry's odd fingers! After his granddad accidentally shut a car door on Perry's hand when he was little, the star is now missing part of his middle finger on his right hand.

8. Apparently Perry was also quite the gambler. He got into a debate with Bruce Willis while the two were making The Whole Nine Yards - Perry believed that the film would be number one in the box office on its opening weekend, but Willis disagreed. In February 2000, the film was number one. Willis was set to appear on Friends as the dad of Ross's girlfriend and Rachel's love interest. As a result of the bet, he had to donate his earnings for the guest stint to charity. Don't doubt the Chan-Chan man!

9. We all know how magical the Friends finale was. There was laughter, tears and smiles as Monica and Chandler unexpectedly adopted twins, Joey was perplexed that the flat was always purple, and Rachel got off the plane. What an honor it must have been for Perry to have the final word in a TV series that had captured the hearts of so many fans. When it's suggested that the gang all go for a coffee, the season ends on a lovely high as Chandler sarcastically asks: "Where?"

10. We learnt earlier that Perry hasn't fallen short when it comes to love interests. One thing that did surprise us was when he announced on Twitter he had an "almost arrestable" crush on Kristen Stewart. Despite being nearly twice her age, Perry said that his crush was "mostly based on what a dynamic and interesting actress she is". A fan then responded with a quip informing Perry that when he began work on Friends at the age of 24, Stewart would have only been 4 years old. We love you, Matt, but we all think you should let that one go.